USA

WASHINGTON, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- The 19 Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo in Washington D.C. closed their doors on Wednesday as the partial U.S. government shutdown dragged on.

"Due to the federal government shutdown, all Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo are closed," the Smithsonian institution said in a statement released on Wednesday.

"Museum and National Zoo programming and events are also canceled," said the statement.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday held firm on his initial request for 5 billion U.S. dollars for funding the construction of a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, hours ahead of a planned meeting with congressional Democrats to bridge their bitter divide, which has dragged a partial government shutdown into the 12th day.

Trump was asked by a reporter at a cabinet meeting Wednesday morning in the White House whether he would accept a bill containing border wall funding below 5 billion dollars.

01 Jan 2019; DW: The US secretary of state has reassured Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu that Washington still supports his country. Pompeo's comments reflect unease caused by Donald Trump's plans to withdraw US troops from Syria.

A decision by US President Donald Trump to withdraw US troops from Syria will not affect Washington's cooperation with Israel over Syria and in efforts to counter Iranian influence in the Middle East, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (top photo) said on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- Patrick Shanahan officially took over the Pentagon on Tuesday as acting U.S. secretary of defense.

"Under the direction of President Trump, the Department of Defense remains focused on safeguarding our nation," Shanahan said in a statement released on New Year's Day.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said on Monday that China and the United States need to build their futures together, for themselves and for humanity at large.

Beijing and Washington formally established their diplomatic ties on Jan. 1, 1979. "The 40th anniversary of this relationship is a testament to the ability of countries with different histories, cultures and political systems to work together for the greater good," Carter wrote in an article published in the Washington Post.

NEW YORK, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- After a year of improvement, the U.S. economy may face challenges in 2019 as waning stimulus, less friendly monetary policy coupled with decelerating global growth are among the multiple risks for a slowdown, economists said.

"Real U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 2.7 percent is forecast for 2019, slowing in the second half of the year as the effects of fiscal stimulus begin to fade," analysts from Bank of America (BofA) Merrill Lynch Global Research said in their 2019 outlook report released in December.

01 Jan 2019; DW:The NASA spacecraft that studied Pluto will zip past an icy rock in the outer solar system. Scientists hope Ultima Thule will help them understand how planets were formed.A NASA spacecraft buzzed by an icy space rock in the distant reaches of the solar system on Tuesday on a mission to gather clues about how planets were formed.

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- A gun control group in the U.S. western state of Washington is urging state lawmakers to give high priority to a proposed ban on high-capacity magazines in the state, a local radio station reported Monday.

Washington's KUOW Public Radio said the gun control advocacy group, the Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility (WAGR), has listed restrictions on high-capacity magazines at the top of their 2019 policy agenda.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — At Granny Shaffer’s restaurant in Joplin, Missouri, owner Mike Wiggins is reprinting the menus to reflect the 5, 10 or 20 cents added to each item.

A two-egg breakfast will cost an extra dime, at $7.39. The price of a three-piece fried chicken dinner will go up 20 cents, to $8.78. The reason: Missouri’s minimum wage is rising.

Wiggins said the price hikes are necessary to help offset an estimated $10,000 to $12,000 in additional annual pay to his staff as a result of a new minimum wage law taking effect Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has ordered a slowdown to the withdrawal of U.S. forces in Syria, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said Sunday.

“I think we’re in a pause situation,” the South Carolina Republican said outside the White House after lunch with the president.

Trump announced earlier this month that he was ordering the withdrawal of all the roughly 2,000 troops from war-torn Syria, with aides expecting it to take place swiftly. The president had declared victory over the Islamic State group in Syria, though pockets of fighting remain.